Farmers' perceptions towards forests: A case study from Haiti

Integrated conservation and development projects in the recent years view local people's support for protected areas management as an important element of biodiversity conservation. Increased knowledge about the interaction between conservation of natural resources and the development needs of local people is an essential part of understanding sustainable protected areas management in Haiti. This paper investigates farmers' perceptions on the impact of the Foret des Pins Reserve on the economic, social, and environmental status of local people using factor analysis and linear structural models. Data from 243 farmers inside the Reserve are used in the empirical analysis. The results suggest that farmers most value economic and environmental objectives, such as tourism and tree planting activities, in promoting forestry programs inside the Reserve. Respondents who believe that their farming activities would benefit from forestry programs through soil protection tended to be more positive. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.